Bees pull upset in unconventional fashion

BAYONNE -- Getting outshout 40-12, racking up four penalties in one eight-minute stretch, and squandering two early power play opportunities wouldn't seem to be a winning formula, especially when playing a team that came in with a 9-1-1 record.

But Bayonne High's ice hockey team did all of those things on wednesday and somehow pulled off an upset of DePaul Catholic, scoring at several unexpected junctures to take a 3-0 lead and eventually hanging on for a gutsy 4-3 win at the Rich Korpi Ice Rink in Bayonne.

The Bees, sparked by 37 saves from goalie Nick Solari and a hat trick from right winger Tim Ballance, improved to 6-6 and built positive momentum heading into a road trip to Florida. The team takes off for Orlando at 5 a.m. this morning.

"Usually when we play the night before we go to Florida, their heads are in Florida and on Disney (World)," Bayonne coach Harvey Boehm said of his players. "They seemed very focused today and they did what they needed to do."

Bayonne withstood 15 shots by DePaul in the final period. After the Spartans pulled to within 4-3 on a goal from Ray Clark, the Bees killed a DePaul power play by clearing a puck that flirted with the goal line.

Solari lunged to his left for a save with 1:45 remaining, and added a few more impressive stops in the closing seconds. Boehm said his team's trap defense also helped preserve the win.
"Even though we didn't get a lot shots, we still kept them in their zone on the trap, which was nice for us," Boehm said.

The Bees were fortunate to be ahead going into the final period. They played shorthanded for more than half of the second stanza due to four penalties, though the Spartans didn't cash in with a goal until their fourth man advantage. Still, DePaul tacked their second score in four minutes at 11:57 to cut Bayonne's lead to one.

But Ballance gave Bayonne breathing room at 4:20 in the third period by sneaking a shot just under the crossbar, his third of the game. The pass came from left winger Stew Lemus, who assisted on all three of Ballance's scores.

"I know where he is all the time and he knows where I am, we just click," Ballance said of his chemistry with Lemus.

Ballance opened the scoring just 2:17 into the game, wristing a wide-open shot into the left corner of the net after easily slicing through DePaul's defense. The Bees failed to take advantage of two first-period power plays, but just seconds after their first power play ended, Eddie McGurr connected right in front of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Following a Bayonne penalty to start the second period, Ballance scored a shorthanded goal from the top of the right circle 53 seconds in, giving the Bees a 3-0 cushion they would not relinquish. Bayonne has won two straight, but Boehm cautioned his team not rest on the laurels of yesterday's signature victory.

"This can help, but it's also dangerous," he said. "They can say we are alright now, and they won't work as hard. We have to make sure we stay in the system and stay level-headed."
For now, at least, the Bees can fly to Florida on the right note.

"It's really for the team to build some chemistry," Boehm said of the trip. "We did this six years ago, and then in 2005, and it really brought our team together. The kids got to know each other a lot better than just in the locker room."